Melodifestivalen 2014 Heat Four: Preliminary Judgment

This is the big one. More often than not, the winner of the whole sh'bang comes from the final heat of Melodifestivalen. And even putting that aside, this is the strongest heat this year by a mile... on paper. Will the actual songs live up to the promise? Let's take a look...

(Listen to clips here)

1. Alcazar - Blame It On The Disco
This is exactly the thing I'm wanting from Alcazar. It sounds a lot like Stay The Night, their entry from a few years ago. I'm not sure if it'll end up as strong melodically, but the sound of this clip is quite promising. 4/5

2. I.D.A. - Fight Me If You Dare
This is just kind of weird. It sounds so... messy? I can't tell if it's great or absolute crap. I'm leaning towards the latter, but there are pieces that seem sort of promising. Either way, I doubt it'll make much of a dent in the competition. 2.5/5

3. Janet Leon - Hollow
This has a faster tempo than I expected. Still, from the clip I think I preferred her entry last year. That didn't do so well for her, so I don't see this improving things much. It's fine, but doesn't sound like anything special. 2.5/5

4. Ammotrack - Raise Your Hands
Please, please don't let this take a spot in the top four. Why the hell are these types of songs part of the competition? It's just not my thing at all. And I love rock music, but when it's sung by people who can actually sing! Not just growl their way through a song... 1.5/5

5. Josef Johansson - Hela natten (All Night)
This is more like it. Though I'm not sure about his vocals yet, I love the big production on this. It sounds kind of like a cross between Ulrik and Robin's songs from last year. 4/5

6. Linda Bengtzing - Ta mig (Take Me)
I was predisposed to love this, just based on her history in the competition. From the clip, it doesn't sound as strong as most of her past hits, but I can see it totally growing on me once I hear the full thing. I definitely love the beat, but not as sure about the chorus. 4/5

7. Ellinore Holmer - En himmelsk sång (A heavenly song)
Last week we had a "simple song," this week it's a "heavenly" one. I think I preferred last week's, and even then I wasn't much of a fan. As a ballad, it just seems hopelessly boring. Her vocals don't sound all that amazing, either. 1.5/5

8. Anton Ewald - Natural
The entry I was looking forward to the most. This sounds a LOT like his entry last year, and has the potential to be just as good if he gets a handle on the vocals. That's what worries me the most. Either way, I'll likely be playing this a lot. 4/5

So, really hit or miss this week. We've got the very strong pop (Alcazar, Anton, Linda, Josef), which I would love to be the top four, and... the rest. I think Anton's a safe bet, and Alcazar will probably slide in there somewhere. I'm worried about Ammotrack.